Informal Dimensions Research Articles

Informality and Relations in International Judicial Appointments: Evidence from Sub-regional Courts in Africa

Abstract Informality in international judicial selection practices has been acknowledged but rarely systematically researched. Described as “design innovations” that are hard to grasp, national judicial appointments to international courts (IC s), even in the most established democracies, are permeated by opacity and secretiveness that remains puzzling to researchers and the legal complex alike. This article presents evidence from three African sub-regional courts to reify the informal dimension of international judicial appointments. Drawing on qualitative research that employs two country case studies, Uganda and Malawi, we demonstrate how the particularly thin formal selection rules leave much leverage to informalities at various levels of governance. Through interviews and judicial biographical data, we reconstruct judicial appointment practices and their dynamics to account for relevant informalities and relations that shed light on the selection of judges to IC s. We argue that appointment practices are less ad hoc or arbitrary than they often appear but mirror the states’ commitment to regional integration, political assessment of the respective regional organisation, and perceptions of the courts’ relevance and ambitions in relation to the political appointers and selectors. Moreover, we raise new concerns about the risk of more silent and subtle backlash against bold regional courts.

Formal and informal dimensions of housing allocation: housing actors and gatekeepers of low-income migrants’ access to housing in the Bronx, New York City

It is recognised that migrants’ access to housing in destination cities is shaped by a number of factors. This paper takes as its focus the processes of housing allocation for low-income West African migrants in the Bronx, New York City. Drawing on 37 semi-structured interviews with housing providers and intermediary organisations that perform housing-related functions, the paper builds upon literature on migration industries and informal housing solutions among migrant communities, and reveals the formal and informal systems which migrants must navigate in order to secure housing. The specific roles which housing providers and intermediary organisations – including housing advocacies NGOs, public institutions, and religious groups – play are highlighted. The paper shows that informal processes operating in the low-income housing market in the Bronx mirror the operations of formal institutional structures, but instead of financial and legal grounds for housing allocation, informal migration industries are centred on social ties within the established migrant community. Such arrangements provide much-needed access to affordable housing for low-income tenants and facilitate further migration.

Chinese standards from the ground up

China’s transformation from a standards-taker to a standards-maker has sent a shock wave through the global economy. While Chinese standardization is conventionally perceived and analysed as a top–down process, led by the central government and the Standardization Administration of China, this article demonstrates the merits of studying standards from the ground up. Sustained engagement with those who make, adopt, reject, and recalibrate standards reveals, first, the human face of standardization. Standards depend on people to be their advocates. The effectiveness of their implementation and the scope of their acceptance rely on practitioners who imbue standards with value and promote them within and across national borders. Furthermore, a bottom–up approach sheds light on the hierarchical nature of standards, the processes of inclusion and exclusion, and the dynamics of elevation and marginalization that hierarchies generate. Finally, it prompts us to look beyond de jure standards. As a producer of cheap commodities for developing countries, China has long been a maker of informal, or de facto, standards that grow out of repeat transactions and mutual agreements among actors along these value chains. Only by considering the human, hierarchical, and informal dimensions of standardization can we fully understand China’s rise as a global standards power.

Absencja usprawiedliwiona? O kilku wątkach nieobecnych na wystawie Ukraina. Wzajemne spojrzenia

The aim of this article is to analyse the content of the exhibition Ukraine. A different angle on neighbourhood, presented in Cracow from September 2021 to January 2022, aimed at identifying exemplary themes that would have significantly enriched the educational and informational dimension of this exhibition, but for various reasons did not make it into it. Exemplary absences included the regional differentiation of Ukraine, the historical-independence status of Galicia, the demographic decline of Poland’s neighbours from across the river Bug, the importance of the Cossacks in the context of the 17th-century problems of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the place of the “Vistula” action in the consciousness of Poles. A separate point is devoted to the absence of the motif of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and the Volhynian massacre from the exhibition, indicating – also through references to the declarations of people involved in the creation of the exhibition – why this motif was to be expected, and proposing a way in which this motif could have been creatively presented. Although the essence of the considerations is to indicate points which would enrich the school knowledge of the primarily Polish audience of the exhibition in relation to the framework of Ukrainian identity (identities) and the Polish-Ukrainian neighbourhood, in its essence the article does not prejudge the necessity to take up the aforementioned motifs, nor does it constitute a closed list of topoi which would be crucial in determining such a framework.

Mobile Health Applications (mHealth apps) for breastfeeding: a qualitative review using the Mobile Application Rating Scale.

mHealth apps are the most commonly used applications by women for seeking information and support for breastfeeding. The primary goal of this study is to provide a quality assessment of Italian-language mHealth apps for breastfeeding using the Italian version of the Mobile App Rating Scale (I-MARS). A systematic search was conducted on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and Windows Store. Inclusion criteria were: mHealth apps available in Italian, free of charge, and focused on the theme of breastfeeding. The quality assessment of the eligible mHealth apps was carried out on the latest available version using the I-MARS, by two authors independently. A total of 381 mHealth apps were identified, of which 38 mHealth apps were included and evaluated (n=9 on Google Play Store, n=29 on Apple App Store). The average total score of the objective dimension of I-MARS was found to be adequate, equal to 3,07±0,75, with a Cohen's Kappa score of 65,8%. The subjective dimension of the I-MARS, however, achieved a low average total score of 2,44±1,03, with a Cohen's Kappa score of 60,5%. In this regard, the subjective dimension of the I-MARS shows lower values compared to the subjective evaluation of the users (3,28±1,95). The informational quality dimension of mHealth apps was found to be lacking and/or inadequate in 80% of cases. 53% of the selected mHealth apps presented average quality scores that were adequate. The results of this study thus lay the groundwork for future recommendations for the development and proper use of mHealth apps for the protection, promotion, and support of breastfeeding.

Designing a structure-function alphabet of helix based on reduced amino acid clusters

Several simple secondary structures could form complex and diverse functional proteins, meaning that secondary structures may contain a lot of hidden information and are arranged according to certain principles, to carry enough information of functional specificity and diversity. However, these inner information and principles have not been understood systematically. In our study, we designed a structure-function alphabet of helix based on reduced amino acid clusters to describe the typical features of helices and delve into the information. Firstly, we selected 480 typical helices from membrane proteins, zymoproteins, transcription factors, and other proteins to define and calculate the interval range, and the helices are classified in terms of hydrophilicity, charge and length: (1) hydrophobic helix (≤43%), amphiphilic helix (43%∼71%), and hydrophilic helix (≥71%). (2) positive helix, negative helix, electrically neutral helix and uncharged helix. (3) short helix (≤8 aa), medium-length helix (9–28 aa), and long helix (≥29 aa). Then, we designed an alphabet containing 36 triplet codes according to the above classification, so that the main features of each helix can be represented by only three letters. This alphabet not only preliminarily defined the helix characteristics, but also greatly reduced the informational dimension of protein structure. Finally, we present an application example to demonstrate the value of the structure-function alphabet in protein functional determination and differentiation.

Exploring Communities of Practice from an Informality Perspective: Insights from the AU, ECOWAS, and UN in West African Mediation Theaters

Abstract The article explores how and why communities of practice (CoPs) of international organizations (IOs) work together effectively despite the rigid formal bureaucratic and institutional borders they inhabit. The manuscript explains how four informal mechanisms combined to enable CoPs embedded in the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the United Nations (UN) Organization to resolve political crises in Burkina Faso, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, and Togo between 2016 and 2022. The informal mechanisms allowed CoPs to overcome their institutional limitations, cross rigid organizational borders, and work together to resolve different political crises in the six countries. Some of the informal mechanisms were cultivated by CoPs, while others emerged organically from activities and interactions of these like-minded professionals. The informal instruments that were developed and used to resolve the crises provide a telling illustration of how CoPs create global governance norms, practices, processes, rules, and structures from below. The enabling role that informality played in the six conflict theaters suggests that paying close attention to the informal dimensions of CoPs has enormous analytical benefits.

Nutrition Management Miniprograms in WeChat: Evaluation of Functionality and Quality.

With the rise in people's living standards and aging populations, a heightened emphasis has been placed in the field of medical and health care. In recent years, there has been a drastic increase in nutrition management in domestic research circles. The mobile nutritional health management platform based on WeChat miniprograms has been widely used to promote health and self-management and to monitor individual nutritional health status in China. Nevertheless, there has been a lack of comprehensive scientific evaluation regarding the functionality and quality of the diverse range of nutritional miniprograms that have surfaced in the market. This study aimed to evaluate the functionality and quality of China's WeChat nutrition management miniprogram by using the User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS). This observational study involves quantitative methods. A keyword search for "nutrition," "diet," "food," and "meal" in Chinese or English was conducted on WeChat, and all miniprograms pertaining to these keywords were thoroughly analyzed. Then, basic information including name, registration date, update date, service type, user scores, and functional scores was extracted from January 2017 to November 2023. Rating scores were provided by users based on their experience and satisfaction with the use of the WeChat miniprogram, and functional scores were integrated and summarized for the primary functions of each miniprogram. Moreover, the quality of nutrition management applets was evaluated by 3 researchers independently using the uMARS. Initially, 27 of 891 miniprograms identified were relevant to nutrition management. Among them, 85.2% (23/27) of them offered features for diet management, facilitating recording of daily dietary intake to evaluate nutritional status; 70.4% (19/27) provided resources for nutrition education and classroom instruction; 59.3% (16/27) included functionalities for exercise management, allowing users to record daily physical activity; and only 44.4% (12/27) featured components for weight management. The total quality score on the uMARS ranged 2.85-3.88 (median 3.38, IQR 3.14-3.57). Engagement scores on the uMARS varied from 2.00 to 4.33 (median 3.00, IQR 2.67-3.67). Functional dimension scores ranged from 3.00 to 4.00 (median 3.33, IQR 3.33-3.67), with a lower score of 2.67 and a higher score of 4.33 outside the reference range. Aesthetic dimension scores ranged from 2.33 to 4.67 (median 3.67, IQR 3.33-4.00). Informational dimension scores ranged from 2.33 to 4.67 (median 3.33, IQR 2.67-3.67). Our findings from the uMARS highlight a predominant emphasis on health aspects over nutritional specifications in the app supporting WeChat miniprograms related to nutrition management. The quality of these miniprograms is currently at an average level, with considerable room for functional improvements in the future.

La informalidad en la formalidad del Perú

This article is intended to visualize the various dimensions that the connotations of informality have and its implications for development and national security, considering the current knowledge society; For this purpose, the concept, types and implication of informality are initially described, to subsequently explore new dimensions of informality and how these develop continuously in the daily actions of people who carry out formal activities, prospectively postulating the implications that they would have for the country; and finally, some alternative solutions to the implications of these dimensions not yet analyzed are postulated.

Maria Weston Chapman, French Salons, and Transatlantic Abolitionism in the Mid-Nineteenth Century

AbstractThis article examines the idea of anti-slavery sociability as part of a wider analysis of the informal elements of the transatlantic anti-slavery movement. It considers how American abolitionist Maria Weston Chapman drew support for the American anti-slavery cause from French salons during her time spent living in Paris from 1848 to 1855. This case-study highlights how a focus on the informal dimensions of anti-slavery activism illuminates the often underappreciated work of female abolitionists in the transatlantic reform sphere. Through the connections she established with the likes of French writer Victor Hugo and Russian exile Nicholas Tourgueneff at salons in Paris, most notably that of Mary Clarke Mohl on the Rue de Bac, Chapman was able to cultivate European support for abolitionism in myriad ways. This included financial donations, goods to be sold at anti-slavery bazaars, and, perhaps most importantly, testimonies against American slavery from renowned Europeans like Hugo that could be republished in the United States.

The Practice of Pluralism: How Ritual Strengthens Democratic Politics

Abstract This article argues that ritual can play a positive role in democratic politics in conditions of pluralism. It situates discussions of ritual and pluralism in the context of anthropological and social theory. It examines two insights scholars have made with regards to ritual that make it both compatible with and enabling of pluralism: ritual creates cohesion without agreement and a ‘subjunctive’ space for managing ambiguity. Finally, it develops an account of how these important social benefits of ritual are connected to a democratic pluralist politics, especially its formal, institutional dimensions. Drawing on the work of Luke Bretherton and Chantal Mouffe, it argues that ritual can strengthen the informal dimensions of citizenship and thus affective bonds toward the political community. The claim is also made that ritual constructs shared discourse by creating forms of life from which agreement can emerge in discursive political contexts.

Political embeddedness in public-private partnership for nature conservation: A land trust reserve case from China.

Private sector plays an increasingly vital role in nature conservation globally. This study explores the concept of political embeddedness, which suggests that governments and environmental nongovernmental organizations (ENGOs) can leverage each other's strengths to achieve both formal and informal goals. Using the case of Laohegou Nature Reserve in China, this study illustrated how the complementary advantages of the government and ENGOs form the foundation of a land trust reserve. Within the case, the study found that power and interest balance between the government and ENGOs during project implementation supported their formal cooperation in nature conservation. This study proposed a political perspective to elaborate power and interest in the formal and informal dimensions of nature conservation public-private partnership (PPP) project. Moreover, it noted that a balance of power between the government and ENGOs is essential in building partnership networks with inclusive interests.

The impact of institutional quality on country-level variations in foreign equity shares in transition economies

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the influence of formal and informal institutional quality on country-level variations in foreign equity shares in transition economies (TEs).Design/methodology/approachDrawing on institutional theory and transaction cost theory, this paper examines the influence of formal and informal institutional quality on country-level variations in foreign equity shares in TEs. The authors use a two-step empirical strategy, identifying clusters of explanatory variables and running generalized least squares random effect estimations to test for the influence of explanatory and control variables on foreign equity shares.FindingsForeign equity share is positively affected by informal institutions and negatively by formal institutions. However, when control for stage of transition we find that the the presence of informal institutions in more rapidly or advanced transforming economies negatively influences foreign equity shares. Complex infrastructure discourages foreign equity shareholdings, and foreign companies use informal practices to overcome unfavourable host country conditions. Government size has a negative effect, and gross domestic product per capita positively affects foreign equity shares.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is the new groundwork for the re-enactment of a fruitful discussion on foreign equity. The study has practical implications for managers, too – managers of foreign-owned firms operating in weakly installed institutional environments should carefully analyse the entry strategies because of the high presence of informal institutions. Furthermore, managers could understand the various facilitation roles of informal institutions in any firm internationalisation effort to arrive at optimal ownership holdings for better internationalisation performance. Although the study is based on a sample of transition countries, the findings have implications for other emerging economies’ contexts sharing similar institutional settings.Originality/valueThis study provides a unique empirical investigation and evidence based on country-level indicators on the effect of formal and informal institutions on foreign equity shares holdings in TEs, reinforcing the importance of impacts of both the formal and informal dimensions on ownership decisions of foreign investors.

The relationship between attitude and self-efficacy of labor support with supportive behaviors from the perspective of midwives

Background and aimEffective support given by a midwife during labor and childbirth is associated with numerous positive outcomes. Yet the delivery of such support can be hindered by negative workplace cultures. The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between attitude and self-efficacy of labor support and labor supportive behaviors from the perspectives of midwives working in Iran.MethodsMidwives (n = 213) employed in the labor wards of selected hospitals in an urban area of Iran participated in this cross-sectional study. Participants were recruited via convenience sampling from December 2016 to September 2017. The data were collected using a personal characteristics tool, the Labor Support Questionnaire, the Self-efficacy Labor Support Scale, and attitudes toward the Labor Support Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics along with multiple linear regression was used for data analysis.ResultsParticipants had a supportive behavior score of 74.98 for mean (SD ± 13.39). The informational support dimension had the highest reported score of the supportive behaviors, whereas the tangible support dimension had the lowest score. The mean scores of attitude and self-efficacy toward labor support were 24.79 (SD ± 4.14) and 79.83 (SD ± 13.82). There were also statistically significant correlations between attitude and self-efficacy, and labor support behaviors and its dimensions. Multiple linear regression analysis results indicated that interests in occupation, attitude, and self-efficacy were predictors of labor supportive behaviors.ConclusionMidwives’ level of interest in the profession, attitude, and self-efficacy of labor support were significantly associated with labor support behaviors. Thus midwives’ interest in their profession, along with their attitudes and self-efficacy could usefully be developed to enhance their supportive behaviors during labor.

Metaverse as a Learning Environment: Some Considerations

The metaverse is unavoidable in an increasingly digitalized society and will potentially have a profound influence on what is understood as teaching and learning in its formal and informal dimensions, both in initial and continuing education. This research, carried out through document analysis, aims to reflect on several challenges and opportunities that the metaverse poses to education as a source of opportunities for a more relevant and effective teaching process, which necessarily involves the development of both the implementation and monitoring of research studies in the follow-up of education in the metaverse environment.

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ВПЛИВУ ШТУЧНОГО ІНТЕЛЕКТУ НА БАНКІВСЬКИЙ СЕГМЕНТ ФІНАНСОВОГО РИНКУ УКРАЇНИ

Over the past couple of years, the global economy and financial sector have been increasingly affected by the development of digital technologies. Access to technology, advanced analytics, data and an innovative culture have given FinTech companies advantages that they have used to transform the banking ecosystem. It is these elements that have made it possible to influence access to financial services, payments, infrastructure, distribution and components of the safety and soundness of the banking sector. In today's conditions, artificial intelligence is one of the most important elements that affect the process of digitalization of the economy. With the help of artificial intelligence technologies, the subjects of the banking services market are able to reduce costs and gain remote access to consumers. Innovations related to the use of artificial intelligence enable the transformation of traditional automated remote banking customer service systems into a new technological and informational dimension, resulting in the formation of digital banking. The article examines the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the banking sector of Ukraine. The scope of the use of AI technologies in the banking sector, the types and methods of their application are considered. The article analyzes the use of AI in various aspects of the banking sector, including process automation, digitalization of banking services and improved customer service. Among the well-known areas of application of artificial intelligence in the banking sector are chatbots for customer support, risk assessment and credit scoring systems. However, it is emphasized that personalized services have also gained popularity in recent times, as building quality relationships with customers requires not only meeting their current requests, but also anticipating their needs at every stage of the customer journey. As practice shows, personalized sales have a higher conversion rate than selling an accessible assortment of goods for everyone, and this is where artificial intelligence can be applied. The trends in the development of the AI industry in Ukraine and the positive factors of the introduction of new financial services and products on the financial market of Ukraine are also indicated.

Epistemological Approaches on Systemic and Synthetic Biology

The classical literature in the field of biology approaches the field of life from the perspective of the mechanisms by which the interactions between living systems are managed, while the systemic approach to biology emphasizes the interconnected networks of living nodes and the ways of communication of living systems, which is the very foundation of the idea of live as exchange of information on material or energetic support. More concretely, the emphasis on the informational dimension of biological interactions transfers the research object of synthetic biology from questions regarding the functionality of living systems, to those related to the ways of encoding information inside living structures that allow their configuration and reconfiguration in different evolutionary or constructive – in the case of synthetic biology – contexts. The analysis of the living system as a whole, from a structural-constructive perspective, takes from the systems theory a series of models for understanding the whole as something other than a simple aggregation of the component parts, emphasizing the integrity of the living system in a manner close to the systems approach in the science of complexity.

Administrative Culture(s) of International Organizations: Introduction

Abstract This introduction explores several approaches to the analysis of administrative culture. It argues that we should go beyond an often simplistic equation of culture to the informal dimensions of an administrative organization. Instead, administrative culture emerges from the interrelations between the formal and informal aspects of administration and, in turn, shapes both. This argument builds on Niklas Luhmann’s concept of complementary »expectation structures«. It has been developed in the study of the public administration of the nation state, which has been the unquestioned framework for research on administrative cultures. There is an intellectual surplus in testing the approach with the formation and transformation of international public administration. The introduction also proposes an investigation into personnel, communication, and knowledge management in international organizations as avenues for further research on the administrative cultures of International Organizations.

Exploring corruption impacts on MNE performance through the lens of risk and uncertainty

PurposeThis paper aims to apply a risk/uncertainty lens to corruption to explore how different types of corruption (formal vs informal) in a multinational enterprise’s (MNE) operating environment have different relationships to firm performance.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses a portfolio approach to measure the formal and informal corruption impacts of an MNE’s entire set of operating locations and test the hypotheses using both accounting- and market-based measures of performance on a sample of 648 firms.FindingsThis study hypothesizes and finds that because formal corruption represents risk, it is typically included in the a priori evaluations of trade-offs between market attractiveness and costs made by MNEs prior to market entry, higher formal corruption in the firm’s environment is positively related to its financial performance. Conversely, the uncertainty associated with the generally intangible and pervasive nature of informal corruption prevents similar, accurate cost consideration before entering the market, resulting in a negative relationship between higher levels of informal corruption and firm performance.Originality/valueThis study provides unique empirical support for the notion that MNEs can both gain and lose by investing in corrupt institutional environments, grounded in an understanding of the differences between risk and uncertainty, reinforcing the importance of considering the potential impacts of both the formal and informal dimensions of corruption in a firm’s operating environment.

Institutional distance and cross-border acquisitions into emerging markets: the moderating effect of context experience

PurposeThis study aims to examine the multidimensional nature of institutional distance as a driver of acquisition decisions in emerging markets. Then, this study aims to offer a nuanced perspective on the role of its various formal and informal dimensions by taking into account the potential contingency role played by a firm’s context experience.Design/methodology/approachBuilding on institutional economics and organizational institutionalism, this study explores the heterogeneity of institutional distance and its effects on the decision to enter emerging versus advanced markets through cross-border acquisitions. Thus, institutional distance is disentangled into its formal and informal dimensions, the former being captured by regulatory efficiency, country governance and financial development. Furthermore, our framework examines the moderating effect of an acquiring firm’s experience in institutionally similar environments, defined as context experience. The hypotheses are analyzed on a sample of 496 cross-border acquisitions by Italian companies in 41 countries from 2008 to 2018.FindingsFindings indicate that at an increasing distance in terms of regulatory efficiency and financial development, acquiring firms are less likely to enter emerging markets, while informal institutional distance is positively associated with such acquisitions. Context experience mitigates the negative effect of formal distance and enhances the positive effect of informal distance.Originality/valueThis study contributes to institutional distance literature in multiple ways. First, by bridging institutional economics and organizational institutionalism and second, by examining the heterogeneity of formal and informal dimensions of distance, this study offers a finer-grained perspective on how institutional distance affects acquisition decisions. Finally, it offers a contingency perspective on the role of context experience.